- One of these planes, a KA-1, did in fact crash for reasons that are still being investigated.

- It is unknown at this time if the drones were equipped with weapons.

Kim Jong-un, in a file image. / [@alexandramichel] vía Flickr

South Korea deploys helicopters and fighter jets to destroy several North Korean drones that had crossed the border

Several "unidentified objects" believed to be North Korean drones crossed the border with the South on Monday, forcing fighter jets and helicopters to be deployed to destroy them, according to the South Korean Army.

According to a representative of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) quoted by the Yonhap agency, as of 10:25 local time, several of these "objects" were identified in border areas of the province of Gyeonggi, which surrounds Seoul.

The southern army has sent combat planes and helicopters to shoot down the suspected drones, and it is not yet known if they were equipped with weapons, according to the aforementioned spokesman. One of these planes, a KA-1, did in fact crash in Hoengsong county, 140 kilometers east of Seoul, for reasons that are still being investigated.

Its two pilots managed to activate the emergency parachute in time and were unharmed, while the plane caused no significant damage when it crashed on agricultural land.

North Korea's use of drones is a concern in the South, where several of them have been discovered in 2014 and 2017

The alleged drones were detected in the towns of Gimpo and Paju, and on the island of Ganghwa, all along the border with the North.

The detection of the drones prompted the JCS to ask the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation to temporarily suspend all landing and takeoff at the two international airports serving Seoul, Gimpo, and Incheon.

All flights were suspended for an hour before normality returned to the two airports. North Korea's use of drones is a concern in the South, where several of them have been discovered in 2014 and 2017.

The dispatch of these alleged drones comes at a time of maximum tension on the Korean peninsula due to the record number of weapons tests that Pyongyang has carried out this year and the joint military maneuvers with which Seoul and Washington are responding.

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